As the IT world moves ever faster toward greater virtualization, advanced cloud computing and new forms of software, IT certifications are boosting the credentials of professionals in the sector.
According to the latest ‘Value of IT Certification Survey’ by computer-based testing company Pearson VUE, security comes out on top when it comes to the speciality area being covered most by certification exams (21,4%), followed by networking and wireless (18,7%) and cloud (18,1%).
The major global report which explores the benefits of gaining new types of IT certifications, is informed by responses from more than 10 000 IT professionals who took exams for programs for the likes of Cisco Systems, Dell EMC, Facebook, Microsoft and Oracle in the last 12 months. The respondents are from 138 countries from employers ranging from fewer than ten people to more than 10 000.
According to the survey, in order to develop their skills, employees at the professional/intermediate level (with 3-8 years’ experience) are most likely to tackle gaps in their technical knowledge with 32,1% of the respondents being at this stage of their careers.
Furthermore, over three-quarters of respondents (76%) were motivated to actively seek out certification on their own. The rest of the respondents (24%) took a certification off the back of an academic program or course they were already enrolled in.
Certification is valued more than training alone, with 91% of respondents agreeing that professional credibility with others they interact with on the job, is a key factor in their decision to invest both time and money in completing relevant certifications.
In terms of practical benefits, over half (55%) of respondents felt that the knowledge they gained had been transferrable to real life work situations.
Personal productivity, greater efficiency and higher quality work outputs were revealed by the survey participants to have increased from earning a new IT certification with 44% highlighting these benefits. The emotional benefits of gaining certifications were also evident with the majority of test takers (67,4%) having greater confidence in their abilities afterwards.
Those surveyed experienced a range of professional benefits from completing their certification, with over a third (35%) reporting a salary or wage increase and among those respondents, 21% disclosed that they had received a pay rise of 11% to 20%. Twenty-eight percent identified that they had gained more job responsibilities after completing their certification and 26% even got promoted. IT professionals are also quick to see the benefits of certifications with 65% noting that they had seen genuine benefits in just three to four months.
Obtaining a certification had a positive impact on candidates’ professional reputation, making individuals more attractive to current as well as prospective employers. Eighty-nine percent agreed it made them more valuable to their employer and 88% said successfully completing a certification provided greater motivation to keep their skills up-to-date.
“With the proliferation of data, increase in program users and need for the optimization of key business processes, the global IT industry requires individuals who can identify their own personal skills gaps and are driven to take action,” says Bob Whelan, president of Pearson Assessments. “Our research highlights that individuals who embrace new certifications both reported driving forward their own careers as well as shaping the future of the industry.”
The top certification programs of the survey participants were from Cisco (32,8%), followed by CompTIA and Microsoft (25,6%), VMware (13,7%) and Oracle (10,8%).